Industry experts believe Apple’s hefty investment in the Chinese company demonstrates the iPhone maker’s desire to grab a foothold in the automotive world. In theory, a partnership like this one would make a lot of sense for a tech company that is secretly developing an electric car (à la Apple’s alleged “Project Titan”). But Apple isn’t quite ready to confirm those suspicions.

“We are making the investment for a number of strategic reasons, including a chance to learn more about certain segments of the China market,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “Of course, we believe it will deliver a strong return for our invested capital over time as well.”

Elsewhere in the automotive industry, similar partnerships have already been forged and public plans announced for self-driving taxi services. The relationship between GM and Lyft is a prime example, as the car maker has put up $500 million to launch self-driving electric taxis within a year. Nobody is saying Apple has the same goal, but getting cozy with China’s second largest ride-share service may give the company the knowledge and market foothold it would need to get its automotive plans (secret or otherwise) rolling down the road.